DOTA 2 LiveTopic [Beta Test] Day Two: The Making of a DOTA Addict

Welcome to USgamer's first LiveTopic, a new article type that's designed to be updated and added to over a period of several days. Our inaugural subject matter is DOTA2, which we're covering from two very different perspectives: Cassandra Khaw is the resident USG expert with more than 600 hours of playtime under her belt, while Jaz Rignall is the resident idiot, with a mere 10 hours of elapsed playtime to his n00b-like credit. Here's what's happening as they play the game...

Okay. Here we go. Training wheels are off... and up goes out first LiveTopic. We're playing DOTA 2 throughout the day, and will write updates letting you know what we like, what we don't like... and all that good stuff.

@harismujkic55 Thanks. This is definitely making it up as we go along time. We're playing the game... writing... then playing again. Sort of a review in progress - and for me, a journey from being a DOTA n00b to what really feels like I'm swiftly becoming a DOTA addict.

I've never gotten into a MOBA just because I've heard that the community is ridiculously, unrelentingly harsh towards new players. Is this really the case? I understand the huge time commitment that everyone makes to these matches, but you can't really learn to play without learning to play against others.

@futurememory Kind of. It really depends on the luck of the draw. Sometimes, you'll run into an excellent bunch of people who will just laugh off your new-ness. Other times, you'll get flamed for not following their preferred hero builds. D: Best thing to do is, I think, to find a group of friends to play with. That always helps to make the trolls palatable.

@futurememory Speaking from experience just now, I got yelled at on my first time in a multiplayer match. It's frustrating for two reasons - firstly, there should be some kind of idiot mode where n00bs can learn with other people, and secondly, can't we get some kind of n00b flag so people can still see you have training wheels on and give you a bit of leeway. Oh, and a third thing. Players: don't be such freakin' assholes to people who are clearly struggling. Rather than just yelling at them, maybe think about WHY they might be dying or not quite knowing where to go and offer advice, not anger.

@Jaz_Rignall Oh gosh, this, a thousand times. This is the main reason I've never been in any great hurry to jump into either DotA or League of Legends. If I'm playing online, I'm there to have fun, not to be yelled at. If experts want newbies to get better, help them!

Are you playing Limited Heroes mode? It's the best mode for beginners, because that's where you're most likely to play with other players with little to no experience.

But regardless of the match type you're queuing for, if you're playing solo the matchmaking system should match you with other players of similar skill level. Valve made some changes to matchmaking in their update yesterday, so hopefully your games will turn out better.

Thanks for the feedback, guys. I can understand why veteran players would be annoyed with newbies (the large amount of time that one has to put into a match, the severe penalties for dropping a match, the way that one new player can completely destroy the balance between the two teams), but maybe they should set aside a separate server or something for absolutely new players?

Thanks for the feedback, guys. I can understand why veteran players would be annoyed with newbies (the large amount of time that one has to put into a match, the severe penalties for dropping a match, the way that one new player can completely destroy the balance between the two teams), but maybe they should set aside a separate server or something for absolutely new players?

i think dota and mobalikes have such a toxic community because there are so many complex systems and actions going on that it's really easy to fuck your teammates over, in a multitude of ways, simultaneously. you can fuck your teammates over by dying and feeding; by stealing their gold; by eating too much harassment; by misplaying a kill attempt on the enemy hero; by being in the wrong part of the map, meaning you don't show up for a teamfight, or getting yourself ganked. you can fuck over your teammates by not knowing how to play your hero; by knowing how to play your hero, but mistiming your skills; by playing your hero correctly, and timing your skills well, but not catching the right people in them. i mean, the list really goes on and on - this is only about half of what came to mind, immediately off the top of my head.

The main problem with setting aside a specific "noobs only" server is, well, smurfing. There's no reliable way to get around it, other than having a great tutorial system that susses out player skill, and a matchmaking system that quickly puts you in an accurate skill zone. Valve has done both of these pretty well. The other problem is that lower-level players tend be either noobs (understandably), or dumb+stupid - if they weren't, they'd be higher up the skill rankings. There's been no word yet on whether or not Valve favors grouping grumpy players with other grumps, while friendly players get friendlier matches?